Sport climbing in Ossola Valley: a cocktail of adrenalin, passion, nature and adventure that attracts climbing enthusiasts from all over the world!
The story of sport climbing in Ossola Valley began in the early 1980s on the walls of Balmalonesca, today known as Balma 1.
Some lines had already been climbed at the end of the seventies, such as the beautiful and tiring Moby Dick crack, and in the same period other cliffs were born, such as Cuzzago, the Garden, Villette in Vigezzo Valley or Balmafregia in Premia, but Balma remained the preferred laboratory of local climbers. In subsequent years, with the help of many volunteers, among whom Maurizio Pellizzon stands out in particular, many cliffs were born, some of which are still worth a visit: Croveo, in Antigorio Valley, which came about at the same time as Colloro, above Premosello Chiovenda, and, in the first few years of the 2000s, the Cadarese cracks (Premia, Antigorio Valley), famous throughout Europe, if not across the world. Also in the Antigorio Valley, the cliffs of Esigo and Ponte Romano were born, ideal for hot summer days.
Sport climbing in the Ossola Valley continues to evolve and now offers cliffs and rope lengths for all tastes and grades: comfortable walls for families, more technical walls, cliffs for all seasons and, why not, rocks on which you can even climb when it’s raining.
There are slabs, vertical walls, overhangs and perfect cracks where you can peel off your hands and climb, if you wish, without bolts (spits) for safety, but with fast protection like nuts and friends at hand.
Text edited by mountain guide Pietro Garanzini
